Built in 1859 (vernacular architecture). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.
“The Frederick Weistar House is a historic stone cottage house at 515 Chestnut Street in Chester, Illinois. The house was built circa 1859 for Frederick Weistar, a Swiss immigrant.”
Wikipedia article Frederick Weistar House, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 12 National Register listings published here for Randolph County · listed in 2018 · category: Building · built in 1859, vernacular architecture.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 17 fires within 5 miles of Frederick Weister House between 2013 and 2017, burning about 24 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 13 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 September 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 70-2013 |
| 28 September 2013 | Debris and open burning | 5.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 71-2013 |
| 1 September 2017 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 840917 |
| 8 June 2014 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 51-0614 |
| 25 May 2014 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 46-0514 |
| 16 May 2014 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 42-0514 |
| 6 April 2014 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 33-0414 |
| 22 April 2014 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 37-0414 |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 6 workings within 5 miles of Frederick Weister House: 2 occurrences, 2 past producers, 1 producer, 1 prospect. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Illinois Sand Dredge | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Wlatersburg Shale Exposure | Clay | Prospect | ||
| Chester Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Limestone Prospect | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Occurrence | ||
| Limestone Prospect | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Occurrence | ||
| Menard State Penitentiary Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Chester, the town this property stands in, in 36 storm reports between 1995 and 2024: 18 thunderstorm wind, 14 hail, 3 tornado, 1 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chester | $20,000 | Trees were downed on the north side of Chester. A truck was extensively damage by a downed tree. |
| June 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chester | $5,400 | Golf ball-size hail was reported in Walsh with numerous trees and power lines down between Chester and Steeleville. The roof of a drug store in Chester was partially ripped away. About 1,900 households were also without power in Prairie Du Rocher, Ruma, and Red Bud. |
| April 1996 | Tornado (F0) | Chester | $500 | no account filed |
| February 2024 | Hail | Chester | - | A Facebook user posted a photo of a hail stone laying next to a ruler. The stone's long edge measured 1 inch. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chester | - | Thunderstorm wind blew down several trees in town. |
| September 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chester | - | A large tree was blown over onto Illinois Route 3 just south of Chester. |
| May 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chester | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down several power poles on the east side of Chester. Also, several trees were blown down along Illinois Route 3 between Chester and Rockwood. |
| March 2008 | Flash Flood | Chester | - | Up to 6 inches of rain fell on already saturated soils in Randolph county from the late evening hours of March 17th through March 18th. Numerous secondary roads were flooded throughout the county. |
| March 2006 | Tornado (F2) | Chester | - | The fourth tornado from the Southeast Missouri supercell crossed into Randolph County Illinois about 9:47 pm CST moving across the southern portion of Kaskaskia Island. Debris originating from near St. Marys, Missouri was found in some fields on the island. Numerous snapped or uprooted trees were found on the island. The tornado crossed the Mississippi River on the north side of Chester with a damage path about 300 yards wide. F2 level damage was found just north of the Chester Correctional Center where a number of trees were leveled or snapped off. The tornado produced F1 damage at the Gorden Bud Cohen Recreational Complex where three wooden light posts were snapped off near the base, and several ball fields backstops and fences were blown over. Just to the east, three large pole barns and several outbuildings were destroyed, and a house had roof and exterior damage. The damage at this point was 300 yards wide and rated F2. The tornado continued to produced F1 to F2 damage along the remainder of its path through Randolph County with a nearly continuous 300 yard width. A Notable area of F2 damage were found just north and northeast of Bremen along Highway 150. This damage consisted of metal high power electric towers blown down, a destroyed mobile home, a number of destroyed barns and metal outbuildings, roof and exterior damage to several homes, and numerous trees uprooted. F2 damage was also found near Highway 150 about 1.5 miles west of Steeleville. The rear portion of a house had considerable roof and structural damage, several detached garages were destroyed, at least 5 metal outbuildings were destroyed, several barns destroyed, signs broken, and trees and power poles snapped. The tornado finally exited Randolph County about 1.5 miles south of Highway 154 on County Line Road about 10:15 pm CST. |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chester | - | The County Sheriff reported trees down along Route 3. A tree on Chestnut Street fell directly onto the roof of a house causing significant roof damage. |
| May 2003 | Hail | Chester | - | Storm spotters reported 3/4 inch hail. |
| May 2002 | Tornado (F0) | Chester | - | A brief tornado hit a neighborhood on the south side of Chester. One home suffered roof damage while another had some siding stripped off. Several large pine trees were snapped at the base and a large oak tree was broken 15 feet from the base. |
| August 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chester | - | Emergency management officials reported trees and a few power lines down in Chester. |
| November 1997 | Hail | Chester | - | County Sheriff reported 3/4 inch hail. |
| April 2022 | Hail | Chester | - | no account filed |
| May 2014 | Hail | Chester | - | no account filed |
| May 2013 | Hail | Chester | - | no account filed |
| January 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chester | - | no account filed |
| January 2008 | Hail | Chester | - | no account filed |
| April 2007 | Hail | Chester | - | no account filed |
| March 2006 | Hail | Chester | - | no account filed |
| April 2006 | Hail | Chester | - | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Hail | Chester | - | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Hail | Chester | - | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Hail | Chester | - | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chester | - | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chester | - | no account filed |
| August 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chester | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chester | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chester | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chester | - | no account filed |
| October 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chester | - | no account filed |
| October 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chester | - | no account filed |
| October 2001 | Hail | Chester | - | no account filed |
| April 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chester | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chester | - | no account filed |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Old Fire Station | 0.5 miles | 2018 |
 | Weinrich, Christian F. | 0.6 miles | 2018 |
 | Mary's River Covered Bridge | 4.6 miles | 1974 |
 | Pierre Menard House | 5.8 miles | 1970 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 100002573 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Randolph County | All 12 listed properties in this county. |
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